NYT Journalist Sues Grammarly AI for Unauthorized Use of Name and Skills

Julia Angwin files class action lawsuit against Grammarly's parent company Superhuman for profiting off writers without consent

Mar. 13, 2026 at 11:20pm

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Julia Angwin, a journalist and author who writes for The New York Times, is suing Grammarly's parent company Superhuman for appropriating her name and editing skills in the company's AI-powered writing assistant tool called Expert Review. Angwin alleges Superhuman is unjustly enriching itself by selling access to an AI that falsely attributes editing suggestions to Angwin and other writers without their consent, violating their privacy rights.

Why it matters

This case highlights growing concerns around the use of individuals' names, skills, and identities by tech companies to monetize AI products without permission. It raises questions about the rights of writers, journalists, and other content creators in the age of artificial intelligence and the need for clearer regulations around the commercial exploitation of people's intellectual property and personal attributes.

The details

Angwin's lawsuit alleges that for $12 per month, Grammarly's Expert Review tool allowed users to receive editing advice attributed to Angwin, even though she never provided any assistance to the program and did not consent to having her name and skills represented in this way. Angwin says the editing suggestions provided under her name were often poor and did not reflect her actual editing style. She believes Grammarly has done the same with hundreds or thousands of other writers, and is suing for at least $5 million in damages.

  • The lawsuit was filed by Angwin in Manhattan federal court on March 13, 2026.
  • Grammarly's parent company, Superhuman, announced the Expert Review tool was being taken down 'for a redesign' before the lawsuit was filed.

The players

Julia Angwin

A journalist and author who writes for The New York Times and is the lead plaintiff in the class action lawsuit against Grammarly's parent company Superhuman.

Superhuman

The California-based parent company of Grammarly, which is being sued by Angwin for allegedly exploiting the names and skills of writers without their consent.

Peter Romer-Friedman

The attorney representing Julia Angwin in the lawsuit against Superhuman.

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What they’re saying

“I make my living as a writer and an editor. This is a skill that I've honed over decades, and the idea that someone would go out and try to sell like a fake AI version of me … is an existential threat to my entire way of life and to everyone who has worked to develop the same skill.”

— Julia Angwin, Journalist and Author (amNewYork)

“The law has been clear for many decades. Whether you're famous or largely unknown, you have a right to not have companies exploit your name or identity or other attributes for their profit or commercial gain. Simply put, Superhuman did just that. It exploited the names of countless numbers of people and it didn't bother to ask any of these people whether they wanted to be associated with this Expert Review product or have feedback or comments provided to Grammarly users in their names.”

— Peter Romer-Friedman, Attorney Representing Julia Angwin (amNewYork)

“We believe this feature missed the mark on what both experts and users expect out of us. We are sorry, and we will rethink our approach going forward.”

— Shishir Mehrotra, CEO, Superhuman (amNewYork)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide whether to allow the class action lawsuit to proceed against Superhuman.

The takeaway

This lawsuit highlights the need for clearer regulations around the use of individuals' names, skills, and identities by tech companies in AI products. It serves as a warning to other firms that they cannot simply appropriate people's intellectual property without consent, even if those individuals are not famous or widely known.